The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
