The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
