The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
