The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
