The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two 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.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
