The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
