The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
