The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
