The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, 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 but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
