The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
