The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
