The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
