The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
