The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating 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 tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
