The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
