The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
