The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
