The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
