The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
