The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
