🔗 Share this article

The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.

A Season Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.

Matteo's Surprising Comeback

At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.

He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Discovering His Natural Fit

Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn