The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
