The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
