The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
