The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
