The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign 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 led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
