The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
