The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
