The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding 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 any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team 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 accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
