The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" 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 first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
