The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
