The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
