The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term 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
