The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described 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 during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
