The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. 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 at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
