The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
