The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
