The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing 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 Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
