The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club 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. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
