The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
