The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
