The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
