The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
