The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn