The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable 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 product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
