The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
