The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
