The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
