The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
