The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo 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.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
