The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
