The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
