The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
