The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
