The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
