The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
