The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
