The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
