The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
