The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
