The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
