The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
