The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, 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. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
