The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
