The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
