The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict 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 to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
