The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn