The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
