The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
