The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
