The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
