The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
