The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
