The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
