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The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Roman club became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.

Matteo's Surprising Comeback

A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."

Finding His Natural Fit

Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn