The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
