The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
