The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
