The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
