The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
