The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
