The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
