The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
