The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled 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. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
