The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
