The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
