The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
