The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
