The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
