The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
