The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
