The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
