The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative 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
