The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
