The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
