The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
