The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
