The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
