The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
