The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
