The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
