The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
