The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed 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 identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
