The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" 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 the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
