The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings 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 "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
