The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
