The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
