The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn