The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters 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 coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
