The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
