The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
