The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
