The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
