The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
