The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
