The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
