The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. 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 True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
