The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
