The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
