The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
