The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
