The mood 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 a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
