The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one 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 was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
