The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
