The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, 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 over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
