The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
