The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 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 latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
