The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
