The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
