The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
