The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
