The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
