The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy 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
