The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player 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 while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
