The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
