The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product 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 departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
