The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
