The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last 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 the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club 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 did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
