The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two 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 falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad 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 in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
