The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
