The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
