The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
