The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
