The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
