The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
