The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus 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 at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
