The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
