The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for 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 extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
