The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
