The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
