The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
