The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
