The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
