The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
