The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
