The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
