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 let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
