The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
