The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
