The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors 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, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
