The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
