The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
