The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction 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, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
