The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating 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's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
