The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
