The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
