The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
