The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
