The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
