The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
