The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, 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 determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
