The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
