The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
