The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, 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 netted seven goals. Shoehorn
