The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating 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, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
