The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
