The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board 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 unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
