The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" 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 rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
