The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
