The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
