The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. 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 advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
