The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated 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 being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
