The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
