The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
