The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
