The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
