The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
