The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
