The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, 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, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
