The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
