The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
