The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one 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 then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
