The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
