The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
