The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
