The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
