The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
