The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
