The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
