The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
