The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
