The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
