The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
