The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors 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, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
