The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
