The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. 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 in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
