The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
