The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized 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, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
