The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio 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, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
