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 ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative 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
