The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him 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, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify 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 as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
