The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
