The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
