The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
