The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
