The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
