The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
