The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting 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.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
