The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term 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 netted seven goals. Shoehorn
