The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated 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 losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 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 after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
