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 let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
