The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
