The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
