The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
