The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign 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
