The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
