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The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.

Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.

Matteo's Unexpected Return

A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn