The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for 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
