The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. 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, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
