The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
