The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
