The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
