The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
