The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances 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, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
