The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating 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, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
