The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals 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.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
