The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
