The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
