The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally 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, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
