The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
