The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
