The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
