The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
