The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
