The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
