The mood at Lazio's home ground 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 netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
