The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
