The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
