The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime 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 Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
