The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
