The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
