The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating 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 determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
