The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
