The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
