The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
