The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
