The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
