The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
