The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
