The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy 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. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches 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. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
