The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- 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
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
