The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
