The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
