The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters 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 did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
