The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" 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 the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated 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 nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
