The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio 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 opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
