The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
