The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
