The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed 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 Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
