The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
