The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating 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 determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
