The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
