The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
