The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only 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.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
