The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
