The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
