The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
