The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
