The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
