The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
