The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side 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 most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
