The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
