The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
