The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 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 chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
