The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
