The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
