The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
