The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" 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 initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- 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."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
