The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
