The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
