The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
