The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
