The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed 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, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
