The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
