The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford 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 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
