The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances 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, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
