The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
