The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
