The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
