The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
