The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined 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 as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
