🔗 Share this article

The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.

A Season Falling Apart?

Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.

Matteo's Surprising Presence

At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."

Finding His True Position

It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn