The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
