The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
