The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
