The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
