The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
