The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
