The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
