The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
