The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
