The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
