The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
