The atmosphere at their home stadium 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. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, 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 lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
