The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
