The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
