The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
