The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
