The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player 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 during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
