The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. 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 most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
