The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
