The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
