The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
