The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
