The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
