The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
