The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches 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, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk 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 accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
