The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
