The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
