The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
