The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
