The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
