The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
