The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
