The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
