The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
