The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
