The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
