The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
