The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
