The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
