The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
