The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
