The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
