The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
