The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
