The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
