The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
