The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
