The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
