The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
