The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
