The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
