The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
