The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
