The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
