The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
