The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
