The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
