The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
