The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
