The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
