The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club 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 opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn