The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
