The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
