The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
