The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
