The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one 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 but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
