The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
