The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
