The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
