The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
