The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
