The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
