The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
