The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, 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, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
