The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent 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 falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
