The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
