The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. 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 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
