The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
