The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
