The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
