The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
