The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
