The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
