The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
