The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
