The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league 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 "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
