The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
