The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one 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 would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
