The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
