The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
