The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
