The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
