The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
