The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
