The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
