The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
