The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself 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
