The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
