The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
