The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
