The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
