The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
