The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
