The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
