The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
