The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn