The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, 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's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
