The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
