The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
