The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
