The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one 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 "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
