The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
