The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
