The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
