The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
