The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
