The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
