The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
