The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
