The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
