The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
