The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature 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 on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
