The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
