The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
