The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
