The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
