The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
