The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
