The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
