The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
