The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" 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, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
