The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn