The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
