The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
