The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, 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 lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
