The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
