The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
