The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
