The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
