The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
