The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
