The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
