The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
