The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
