The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
