The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
