The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
