The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
