The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
