The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
