The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
