The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
