The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit 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 falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
