The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad 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 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
