The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
