The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
