The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
