The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
