The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
