The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
