The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine 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 an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
