The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated 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 falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
