The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
