The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
