The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
