The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
