The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
