The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 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 left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
