The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban 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 in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
