The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
