The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
