The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
