The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
