The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
