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 netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
