The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 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.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
