The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
