The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn