The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
