The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
