The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
