The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
