The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
