The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
