The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority 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 "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
