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The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Falling Apart?

Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.

Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return

A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.

Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His True Position

It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn