The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, 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 coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
