The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
