The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
