The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
