The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
