The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
