The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
