The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
