The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
