The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
