The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
