The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
