The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 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 chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
