The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
