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 managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
