The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
