The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
