The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
