The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
