The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
