The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
