The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season 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, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
