The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
