The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
